Handerson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The history of the ancestors of the Handerson family begins among the Pictish clans ancient Scotland. The name Handerson comes from the personal name Hendry, which is a chiefly Scottish derivative of the name Henry. There were two main branches of the Handerson family, one at Glencoe, in the lower Highlands, and one at Caithness, in the extreme north of Scotland.

Early Origins of the Handerson family

The surname Handerson was first found in Caithness, Glencoe, the Shetland Islands, Liddlesdale, and Fordell. One origin claims the Handerson family descend from Great Henry, son of King Nechtan, who was also the progenitor of the MacDonalds of Glencoe. However, the branch of the Handerson to whom this story relates also claim to have settled in the Glencoe territory many years before the Maclains or MacDonalds arrived there. This is consistent with the theory that this family are a branch of the northern family who moved south and became attached to the MacDonalds.

Generally noted as great fighters, they became bodyguards of the Chief of the MacDonalds. They were also the hereditary pipers of that Clan, sometimes referred to as the Maclains.

Later, in about 1530, there emerged another section of the Henderson Clan in the Border country of Liddesdale but the connection between this group and the main Clan is somewhat tenuous. However, it is known that many of the Highland Clans were invited, coerced or transported, sometimes as a whole sometimes as a branch, to the border country to provide better defenses against English attacks along the Border.

Early History of the Handerson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Handerson research. Another 200 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1420, 1430, 1460, 1494, 1500, 1506, 1510, 1511, 1583, 1590, 1600, 1606, 1618, 1638, 1646, 1692 and 1865 are included under the topic Early Handerson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Handerson Spelling Variations

Prior to the invention of the printing press in the last hundred years, documents were basically unique. Names were written according to sound, and often appeared differently each time they were recorded. Spelling variations of the name Handerson include Henderson, Henreyson, Henryson, MacKendrick and many more.

Early Notables of the Handerson family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was James Henderson, of the Fordell line, who became Lord Advocate of Scotland in 1494. Perhaps the greatest Henderson of all was Alexander Henderson (c.1583-1646) of Fife, minister of Leuchars, who attended of St. Andrews University. In 1638, he drafted the National Covenant of Scotland, and is generally considered the "2nd founder," after Knox, of the Presbyterian church in Scotland. Robert Henryson (1430?-1506?) was a poet who flourished in Scotland in the period c. 1460-1500. He was...
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Handerson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Handerson family to Ireland

Some of the Handerson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 129 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Handerson migration to the United States +

The freedom of the North American colonies was enticing, and many Scots left to make the great crossing. It was a long and hard journey, but its reward was a place where there was more land than people and tolerance was far easier to come by. Many of these people came together to fight for a new nation in the American War of Independence, while others remained loyal to the old order as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of Scots in North America have recovered much of this heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and other such organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important and early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Handerson:

Handerson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francis Handerson, aged 38, who arrived in Rhode Island in 1812 1
James Handerson, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 1

Handerson migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Handerson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Handerson, Scottish convict from Edinburgh, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on August 08, 1849, settling in Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Handerson (post 1700) +

Z. Handerson, American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 12th District, 1863 3
Phineas Handerson, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 9th District, 1816-18, 1825-26, 1831-33; Member of New Hampshire Governor's Council, 1840-42 3
Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849-1921), American artist

The Handerson Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sola virtus nobilitat
Motto Translation: Virtue alone ennobles.

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 17) Adelaide voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia in 1849 with 303 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1849
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html